The Account of the Crimean Khanate in a Treatise by Adrian de Verdy du Vernois

Research objectives: The aim of this article is to explore a lesser-known source that provides information about the Crimean Khanate – a treatise called “Essays on the Geography, Politics, and History of the Turkish Empire in Europe,” written by the French “armchair” scholar Adrian-Marie-François de Verdy du Vernois, who collected and summarized various materials on the history of the region in his work. Research materials: The article is based on an extract dedicated to the Crimea from the aforementioned treatise, which was published twice, in 1784 and 1785. This text has not yet been studied in Russian historiography. Results and novelty of the research: The study sheds light on the biography of de Verdy du Vernois, demonstrating the diversity of his scholarly interests. It is shown that during his work on the analyzed treatise, the Frenchman used a wide variety of sources, including books written by French diplomats and writers, encyclopedic works of “armchair” researchers, maps of the Northern Black Sea region, and state documents. The article reveals the information potential of the French treatise, which describes the geographical location and history of the Crimean Khanate, its relations with the Ottoman Sultan and the circumstances under which the Crimea accepted the Turkish protectorate, the ethnic structure of the state, the urban centres subordinated to the khan, the cities under Turkish power, the Russian interests in the Black Sea Area, and the Russo-Ottoman war of 1768–1774. Additionally, the article shows the place of the analyzed book among contemporary Western intellectuals’ perceptions of the Crimea and reveals erroneous and stereotypical views.